The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-01-15
THE STORM.
One Of the Most Severe Experienced
for Years.
Railroad Trains Delayed by the
Drifting Snow.

The heavy storm which prevailed all day
yesterday came on suddenly shortly after mid
night Thursday and proved one of the most
severe for years. The wind rose soon after
the snow commenced to fall and big drifts
collected in the streets. As the day adj
vanced. the storm became so severe that out
of door business was practically suspended.
Many wholesale firms had their teams put
up and everybody who could keep in out of
the cold and snow availed himself of the
privilege, the streets presenting deserted
appearance. The horse cur company kept
their lines open and the cars, with four
horses each, ran all day, both in the city and
on the Deering line.
The snow ceased falling for time at about
6 O'Clock last evening but the wind did not
abate and at times during the night the snow
fell fast. Fences on some streets in the city
were covered by the drifts The temperature
remained pretty near zero all day. Reports
from the country showed the cold to be
greater away from the coast, where the
mercury sunk below the zero marks.
ON THE RAILROADS.
The storm proved especially hard for the
railroads. The track on Commercial street was
broken out by locomotive in the forenoon,
the engine being obliged TO make several at
tempts before finally getting under way. In
the afternoon no trains were sent through
the street.
The Montreal train on the Grand Trunk,
due here at noon came in two hours late
The train for Montreal started from here on
time.
The morning train from Dover en- the Bos-
ton & Maine was one hour behind time,
while the Kennebunk train was fifteen
minutes late. The morning trains left here
about on time, as did the noon train on the
Western division, the noon train on the
Eastern division being delayed until 2.40 p.
M, by the Bangor train.
The storm was encountered in its greatest
severity by the trains which left Boston for
this city yesterday merning. There are four
trains which start from Boston within two
hours of each other. At 7.3O train starts on
each division. These two trains are CONSOLE
dated at No. Berwick, so that there are three
trains which arrive in Portland at noon. At
Berwick the snow was found to be SO badly
drifted that the cars of the first train had to
be dug out one by one. When the train
finally left Berwick it was three hours be-
hind time. From that time the struggle to
get through was hard and long one. There
was no accident but the passengers on the
cars had tedious time of it. After an entire
day spent in moving along from point to
point, the trains due here at 1905 in the
Western division and p. M on the Eastern
rolled into the depot at about O'Clock. The
train due at 1890 p. m, on the Western divi-
sion got in at about eight o'clock. The two
trains which leave Boston at noon and are
due here at about 5 o'clock got in at $50 and
the train on the Western division due at
o'clock arrived at II p. m.
A gentleman who came in on one of the
much delayed trains said that the wind blew
so fiercely during the day that when the
train made stop away from station no
one cared to leave it to go to the nearest
house for food. A lady in one of the cars
gladdened the hearts of the hungry by provi-
ding bag Of cookies which were quickly
disposed of. Another passenger said that
when the forward train got struck the train
next behind sent locomotive ahead to help
the first along.
On the Portland & Rochester, the trains
made about schedule time. The through
train from Rochester was about two hours
late, being detained at Rochester for that
length of time. The freight train got along
about ON time.
On the Maine Central, the noon train from
Skowhegan was about an hour late and the
Bangor train about two hours behind time.
The afternoon train from Bangor was about
two hours and quarter late. When the noon
train coming in on the Maine Central reach
ed Cumberland, the train hands were
obliged to set to work with shovels to get
through a particularly deep drift
The train which should have left here for
Bangor at noon was obliged to wait for the
late Boston trains.
THE TELEGRAPH UNAFFECTED.
The storm did not affect the telegraph
wires. In answer to an inquiry the Western
Union Office reported that their lines had
worked all right throughout the day, and
doubtless the same was the case with the
Baltimore and Ohio lines. Dispatches were
sent and received promptly and the usual
amount of press matter was taken last night.
THE STORM AT SEA.
The gale must have been teri ible one
upon the ocean, the high wind and binding
snow serving to make navigation hazardous
in the extreme. The suddenness with which
the istorm arose renders it probable that
marine disasters viii be numerous. Steamers
of the lines centering in Portland made port
without difficulty. Both the steamers of the
Boston line arrived at their destinations on
time and before the storm reached its height.
The Cumberland of the International line
from PASSPORT for Boston, arrived here at 4
a. m. yesterday and the State of Maine, of
the same line, reached Eastport at 10 o'clock,
yesterday forenoon. The New York steamer
came in yesterday morning and the steamer
Katahdin, of the Boston and Bangor line
sought shelter in the harbor.
The harbor during the day was rendered
invisible by the thick vapor arising from the /
water. There was quite heavy swell and
the tide ran very high being up to the sills
of many of the wharves. There was some
floating ice but most of the Ice was driven
up into the docks. Only small number of
vessels were at anchor in the upper harbor.